Turkey says it has capacity to create ‘safe zone’ in Syria alone

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, above, says they are on the same page with Russia, except on the issue of Al-Assad staying in office. (AFP)

Turkey has the capacity to create a "safe zone" in Syria on its own but will not exclude the United States, Russia or others if they want to cooperate, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

Speaking to broadcaster A Haber, he said Ankara and Moscow were on the same page regarding a Syrian political solution aside from the issue of whether President Bashar al-Assad should stay in office. He added that Turkey was in indirect contact with the Syrian government, without providing details.